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Neville Salon’s Charity Event for Nepal

Londoners gathered at Neville Salon on the 3rd of December to support “Neville for Nepal,” a dedicated charity event. Neville Salon, a beauty mecca located in Belgravia, welcomed guests for an evening of pampering and prosecco, including haircuts, manicures, blow-dries, and more at discounted rates. All proceeds from the event benefitted the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC), an orphanage and nonprofit organization in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Following the devastating earthquake in Nepal on April 25th, 2015, the team at Neville tirelessly gathered emergency supplies. Less than three weeks later, they delivered essential items to the orphanage in the Kathmandu Valley that was in desperate need of assistance. The salon has since partnered with the ECDC to provide continual support for the orphanage that remains a safe haven for Nepalese children.

Speaking at the event, Elena Lavagni, the director and owner of Neville Salon, called for the recognition of another woman behind the cause, Pushpa Basnet, a social worker and founder of the ECDC. Basnet’s organisation strives to strengthen the rights of children living in jails with their incarcerated parents. The ECDC coordinates with prison administrators to rescue children behind bars in urban and rural areas of Nepal, with the hope of breaking the cycle of crime and poverty.

Pushpa began her career as a social worker at the age of 21 while she was still an undergraduate student at university. As part of her college studies, she visited women’s prisons across Nepal and was heartbroken to find so many children living with their parents behind bars. It was this that inspired Pushpa to raise money for her own nonprofit organisation. The ECDC began in 2005 by providing a daycare program for children and by 2007, Pushpa had opened a residential home for kids to live in year-round.

International media recognised Pushpa’s efforts when she was nominated for a CNN Heroes Award, which she subsequently won in 2012. In 2013, an independent production company called Reframed Pictures (established by Susan Sarandon) released the award-winning documentary Waiting for Mamu depicting Pushpa’s story. To date, she has assisted more than 100 children of incarcerated parents by providing free residence, school enrollment, food, and medical care.

Elena expressed that Neville Salon and their employees have always taken pride in donating their time and services to charity. The notion of “giving back” is an issue that is clearly close to their hearts, with this event being a fine example of how Neville has gone above and beyond to raise awareness of a very worthy cause indeed.